Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1884. 
Analysis  by  Capillarity. 
509 
earths,  acids,  salts  and  coloring  matters,  until  by  the  absorbed  liquids 
they  had  been  wetted  to  the  height  of  about  an  inch,  showed,  on  test- 
ing the  moistened  portion  with  suitable  reagents,  that  the  upper  part 
of  the  paper  moistened  by  capillarity  contained  only  water,  while  the 
dissolved  substance  was  present  only  in  the  lower  part  of  the  paper, 
rising  to  different  heights  on  using  solutions  of  different  substances ;  or 
that,  in  general,  the  water  precedes,  more  or  less  rapidly,  by  capilla- 
rity, the  substances  dissolved  therein." 
From  a  more  extended  abstract  of  Schoenbein's  paper,  published  in 
"Journal*  de  Pharmacie  et  de  Chimie,"  1862  [3],  xlii,  pp.  28-30,  we 
condense  the  following  particulars:  The  experiments  were  made  with 
strips  of  unsized  paper  tinged  with  turmeric  or  litmus,  or  impregnated 
with  solution  of  iron  or  other  salt,  or  the  experiment  was  performed  in 
an  atmosphere  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  or  ozone.  The  paper  was 
suspended  at  a  right  angle  above  the  liquid,  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
lower  end  dipped  two  or  three  millimeters  into  the  solution,  and  was 
retained  in  this  position  until  by  capillary  attraction  the  liquid  had 
risen  to  the  height  of  3  centimeters.  The  figures  given  below  indicate 
the  height  to  which  the  substances  dissolved  rose  in  the  paper,  the 
remaining  space  up  to  3  Cm.  containing  pure  water. 
Phosphoric  acid,  1  per  cent.,  3  Cm. 
(no  separation  of  water). 
Gallic  acid,  1  per  cent.,  ^ 
Potassa,  1  per  cent.,  2  Cm. 
Soda,  i 
Lithia,  }  nearly  as  above. 
Baryta,  saturated,  1  Cm.  Pyrogallic  acid,  /  ®  Mm. 
Strontia,      u    ^  Ferric  salts,  1  per  cent.,  15  Mm. 
Lime,  "    J  3     Mm*  Lead  nitrate,  1  per  cent.,  18  Mm. 
Sulphuric  acid,  1  per  cent.,  18  Mm.    j  Silver  salts, 
Nitric  acid,  Copper  salts,      V  Similar  to  lead. 
Hydrochloric  acid,  I  Similar  to  sul-  '  Cadmium  salts,  J 
Oxalic  acid,           j    phuric  acid,  j  Potassium  iodide,  alkaline,  15  Mm. 
Tartaric  acid,         j  (colored  by  ozone). 
Solution  of  indigo;  12  Mm.  contain  the  coloring  matter  ;  the  remaining 
18  Mm.  contain  liquid  which  is  not  of  uniform  composition. 
Buliginsky's  experiments  ("  Jahresb.  d.  Chcm.,"  18(38,  pp.  22-26) 
were  made  with  capillary  tubes,  and  showed  that  the  height  to  which 
liquids  are  drawn  is  influenced  by  the  temperature  and  by  the  strength 
of  the  solution.  Solutions  of  ammonium  chloride  were  the  only  ones 
of  those  examined  which  rose  to  a  greater  height  than  water,  while 
the  rise  was  less  for  solutions  of  sugar,  potassium  nitrate,  sodium  chlo- 
